Engine-starter.



J. W. BIDDINGER.

ENGINE STARTER.

APPLIGATION FILED 111111.?, 1910.

f l V a l JOHN W. BIDDlNGEB/,- 0F VVA'SHINGT0N, INDIANA.

ENGINE-STARTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 2i., 1913i.

Application. ied March. 7, 1910. Seri-MENO. 547,769.

ToV all whom it may concern:

Be i-t known that Jol-1N W. Bl-nolNeEn, a citizen of the United States,residing at lV'ashi-ngton,` in the county of Baviess and Sta-te o-f4Indiana, have invented a; new and 'useful Engine-Starter, of which thefollowing a specification.

This invention relates to starters for hydrocarbon engines such usedupon automobil'es and one of its objects is to provide improved meanswhereby the starting mechanism can be readily actuated by the chaufffeur without leaving the vehicle, said `mechanismV being of sim-plelconstruction vand con venient to attach to different makes of machines.L

Another object is to provide. improved meansI whereby the actuatingmechanism will be automatically disconnected from the starting-shaftyshould the engine start back- Ward 'as the result of prematuresparking.

With these and other objects in view the invention consists incertain4novel details of constructionand combinations o-parts hereinafter morefully described 4and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings the pre'- ferred form of the invention hasbeen shown.

Insaid drawings. Figure 1 is a bottom plan' view of thevniechanismportions thereof being shown-in sect-ion and the bottom of the gear casebeing removed. Fig. 2 is a side' elevation of the 'starting mechanism.Fig. 3 is a section through the pawl and ratchet mechanism. f

Referring to the figures by characters of reference 1 designates .agearcase designed 'to be secured in any Vsuitable manner to a fixedportion of the frame or chassis 2. A starting shaft 3 is journaled'wthinthe case 1 and'may, if desired, be provided with a 'crank 4 atitsouterendwhilethe inner end of said shaft has a clutch case 5 designed toengage acorrespondingface formed upon the adjoining end ofthe motorshaft,notshown. y.This shaft 3 is mounted to slide as wellies rotatewithin its bearings and has a collar 7 's ecuredu'pon it and providedwith L., an annular grooveB. 4A gear 9 is feathered l V:so

on the shaft 3, and is located within the case 1', there being a, coiledspring on the shaft 3' and bearing at its ends against the collar 7 andthe gear 9 respectively so as to hold the shaft 3 normallypressedforward with its clutch face G out of engagement with the u'lot'orshaft.

A shaft 11 is journaled within the case 1 and extends laterallytherefrom and: is also journaled in one side of the franle or chassis 2.This shaft has a gear 12 secured thereto and located within the case l,the said gear meshing at all times with the gear 9. A ratchet wheel 13is secured to the outer end of the shaft 11 and located Within the forkof an arm 14 which is mounted to swing loosely on the shaft 11. The free.end of this arm is pivotally connected to one end of a rod 15 which isalso pivotally connected toa starting lever 16. This lever is located atone side of the machine and preferably cljose to the chautfeurs seat. Apawl 17 is pivotally mounted within the forked arm -14 and: a spring '18bears on this pawl and holds it normally in engagement with the ratchetwheel. A finger 19 extends vinwardly from the pawl and is adapted, whenthe arm 14 is swung a predetermined` distance i-n one direction, 4tomove against a deflecting arm 2O extending downwardly from a plate 2-1which is secured. to the frame 2. l V

A shaft 22 is j ournaled within the top and bottom of the case 1 andextends through -said case, there being an arm23 'on the shaft andWithin the case and which projects into the groove 8 in the collar 7.Another arm 24 extends from the lower projectingI end of the shaft 22and has a flexible actuating device, such asa cord, chain or the likewhich has been indicated at 25, the said device being secured to thefree end of the'arm 24 'and being extended partly around a sheave- 26mounted upon a bracket 27 secured to -the frame 2. The connection 25extends back to the lower end ofa foot lever 28 which is journaledwithin the frame 2 and preferably close to the seat of the chauffeur.

In using the mechanism which has been described the foot lever 2 8`isfirst pressed This causes the' connection 25 to' pull onarm 24 and theshaft' 22 s thus ro.-

forward.

-tated so as to swingthc arm 23 and push the collar 7 and the-shaft 3longitudinally.

The -clutch face 6 will thus be brought into engagement withtheadjoining end of the motor shaft, not Shown. It will be understood ofcourse that the gea-r 9 remains in ,y

mesh with the gear 12 inasmuch as shaft thence to the shaft 3. As longas this shaft 'suddenly pull the lever' 1G away from'the -eonstructionand will be found `:nlinanta- `ferent makes of machines and because ofthe is slidably mounted Within'said gear 9.l After the parts have thusbeen shifted the' lever 6 is oscillated. Each forward movement of thelever Will swing the arm 14. so as to cause the pawl 17 to ride over theteeth on the ratchet ivheeL Each movement otE the lever 16 in theopposite direction Will l cause the pawl to engage the ratchet Wheel andArotate it. Shaft 11 Willtherei'ordbe correspondingly rotated and motionwill be transmitted through gear l2 to gear 5) and is in engagement,with thc motor shaft, the said motor shaftwill be also rotated. Shouldthe engine start in the Wrong direction the movement of shaft 11 wouldbe reversed, and the pawl, engaged by the ratchet Wheel 13, would bethrown in the direction of the arm 20, thus causing arm 14 and rod 15 tooperator. Upon the completion ofV a short movement of the paivl 1T inthis direction, the finger 19 on the pawl will ride against the arm 2()and said arm will deflect the linger inwardly a suflicient distance todisengage the paWl from the ratchet Wheel. The clutch face 6 will oicourse become disengaged from the motor shaft assoon as the foot lever28 is released, the spring 10 serv ing to .fproinptly shift the shattlongitudinally` soas to disengage the tivo shafts.

It will be seen that starting mechanism such as has been described isvery-simple in' geous because' it can be readily applied to diffurthervfact that it vbecomes unnecessary for the chauffeur 4to leave thevehicle when he desires to sta-rt it.

Various changes can of course be made in the Vconstruction and`arrangement of the cluding a starting shaft,` a collar thereon, a-

feathered on the shaft, manually opgear erated means engaging the collarfor shifting the shaft longitudinally Within the gear, a spring upontheshaft and bearing against the gear and collar to hold the shaft nor'-inally in a predetermined position, asecond shaft, a gear thereonconstantly meshing with the iirst mentioned gear, means mov-y able inone direction for rotating said sec ond shalt, and means forautomatically disconnecting said shaft, and its rotatingmeans when theshalt is rotating in the opposite di:

reet-ion. g

2. Mechanism of the class described including a starting shaft having aclutch member at one end, a gear eathered'iipon4 said shaft, a springentheshatt for hold ing `the same normally in a predetermined position,lthe two gears being constantly in mesh, a starting lever, mechanismoperatedfthereby for rota-ting the operating. lever in mie' di,rectio'n, ing lthe mechanism from there ct'uating shat when saidshaft isrotated/,inthe opposite reetion, and manually operated means forshifting the starting sliaft'out Vof normal position and longitudinallyTvvithin its gear.

that I elaiinthe foregoing asfA In testimony means for automaicallydi'sengag-t.

an actuating shaft, a gear thereon,

my own, I have hereto ailig'ied lmy signature in the presence of twoWitnesses.

JHN 75. BIDDINGER.

Witnesses CLAUD BRYAN, FRED KIRCHNER.

